Wildling
by AcousticSlide
Summary: She wakes with no name and no identity. She is alone. Monsters and creatures terrorize her and the village that adopts her, forcing her to defeat the ghastly and deep unknown.
1. 1 - Where I am

She woke with a start. Stars buzzed around her head and her eyes couldn't adjust to the white sunlight that was harshly stabbing her eyes. Her muscles ached and she could barely move her arms to prop herself up...

… but that didn't stall her from doing so anyways. She had lifted herself so that she was gazing around the surroundings that she was thrown into. Shapes blurred around her as she swung her head around blindly. She felt like a baby bird with it's mouth open, begging for answers, sightless and lost.

Trees... maybe thats what the green smudges were. Or they could have been a small bush that was close to her, or it could have been a tree that was miles away, she couldn't tell. She slammed her balled fist into the ground in frustration and utter confusion. She tried to stand up, but her legs weakly gave way and she collapsed to the ground once again with a pitiful squeak and a burst of pain in her back and arms.

Bad idea, she decided, I need to take things slowly. She layed her head back down on the soft material beneath her head. Grass. She smiled as she closed her eyes once more. Her head was on grass. Well, that was a start. At least there was nothing she could harm herself with around, she mentally thanked the force that put her there for not putting her on the edge of a cliff.

She sighed and took a chance to open her eyes once more. Yes, they were trees. Tall ones too, she could see them more clearly. The fog that had haunted her eyes was lifted and her aching muscles were starting to calm down as she got up, slowly this time. She managed to stumble a few feet until she fell onto her hands and knees once more.

What was wrong with her? She knew how to walk, she had a clear visual of what to do in her mind as well. It was almost as if she was a baby once again, stumbling around, grabbing the nearest object to steady herself. But she wasn't a baby any longer. She was... what? An adult? A teenager? She looked at herself with sudden curiosity. No, no she wasn't _too_ young, she could tell that much. Maybe she was an adult after all. She frowned and tried to stand up again. And adult should be able to walk.

This time she managed to wobble uneasily to the nearest object, which was a small tree: the tree she had seen earlier. She held onto it almost for dear life, but eventually wobbled to the next tree, and then the next. She continued to do this until she reached a mound in the grass. A boulder, she placed her hand on the rock and grasped the moss that covered it. Slowly lifting herself onto the rock, she managed to stand so as to look at her surroundings.

She was in a large field, grass stretching as far as she could see around her. She squinted her eyes so as to avoid the glare from the sun. Mountains loomed in the distance, beckoning her to go to them. She gulped.

She had no idea what was between her and the mountains. There could be anything, and with her not knowing where she was and what kind of terrain was between them, she was utterly and undoubtedly lost. She frowned and sighed. She had no idea if there was any source of food or water or even shelter in this strange world. She was even starting to doubt if those mountains were even real, what with her brain being in a confused haze. But go at them she will, she decided. She had no idea what to do and nothing to strive for at the moment.

Her stomach growled. Speaking of something to strive for... she glanced around at her flat, fruitless surroundings. She grimaced.

She climbed down onto the ground. Glancing around and sitting against the rock, she looked at the sky, hoping something, _anything _would give her something to eat...

_Pop._ She paused, tensing her muscles and holding her breath. The long grass lazily waved in the wind. The grass in front of her did not.

The patch in front of her waved wildly and let out short, wild popping noises. She slowly pushed herself up onto the rock so as to jump over it quickly...

… a small man tumbled out of the grass in front of her. She screamed and leapt onto the rock and crouched behind it. She felt her blood freeze when she heard the scuffling of small hands grasping the moss on the other side of the rock.

"Ho, there!" the small man barked as he crept up ontot he rock. "I saw you, little bird! No need to hide your pretty face!" he peeked his head over the rock and locked eyes with her. "My, my, you are a little bird! Fall from your nest?" he smiled. She gulped.

He laughed a deep and rough laugh. "Shaking like a leaf, ain't you? Ne'er seen a civilized man round these parts, little bird?" He frowned when she didn't respond. "Can't you talk?" he rasped as he moved himself next to her.

She opened her mouth. Yes, yes, she could talk! She knew what to say and she knew how to say it, but nothing came out. "Do you even know what I'm saying, girl?" She nodded vigorously.

"Oh, so you're a mute! Shame, you got the look of a lovely voice, little bird." he said, leaning his head on the rock. "The name's Homer," he reached out his hand to her. She shook it politely. "I don't remember a wilding ever knowing their manners. Huh," he said with a smile. "Do you have a name?"

She shrugged. She had no idea what her name was. She had no idea _who _ she was. The man called Homer nodded slowly. "Well," he said slowly, "I'll call you Little Bird," she scrunched her nose. "No?" she shook her head.

He scratched his chin. "How about..." he looked around.

"Samantha?"

She shook her head no.

"Lucy?"

Another no.

"Chickadee?"

She gave him an exasperated look.

"Let me guess, a no," he said flatly. She nodded. He looked at the sky. Then it hit him. Homer smiled.

"How about Avis?" he said slowly. She perked her head to the side and smiled. "How about that! She finally likes a name, she does!"

She smiled.

She had a name.


	2. 2 - Running Free

Homer had suggested for her to come back to his village and stay there for a while. Avis was a bit uneasy at first, but Homer eventually convinced her to travel back to Homer's house. She uneasily climbed into his wagon (which he had hid behind a large rock a distance away) and Homer urged the pony that was hauling them to go.

Avis wanted to ask him what the strange popping noises were, but like not long ago, she was unable to speak. She turned to him after a brief silence and made popping noises with her mouth. Homer turned towards her and smiled.

"The popping? That was my bow," he said, pulling out a curved piece of wood with a taut string pulled over the ends. "It had a loose strand sticking out in the breeze, so whenever I pluck the string to loose an arrow..." Homer _twanged_ the string. Avis nodded. It did have a slight popping noise, she decided. She nodded and leaned back onto the headrest of the cart.

Homer glanced at her. "How old are you, little bird? I'm guessing you don't know it, considering you don't know your name," he said quietly. "What are you, Avis... twelve? Thirteen?"

Avis frowned. Was she really that young? Homer smiled. "Aw, bless you, little bird. You thought you was all grown up, didn't you? Nah, you're but a child, young Avis. You have a long ways to go yet," he said softly. Avis sank lower in her seat. She had hoped she would be older.

After a few hours of Homer's light chatting, they finally reached a dirt road near the edge of a wood. The cart bumped and jostled as they rolled from the rough, grassy terrain to the smooth dirt path. Avis grasped the edges of the cart so as not to fall off. Homer barley paid attention to the jostling, and kept his eyes on the road, as if he had done this a thousand times over.

Avis remained silent until the first lamppost came into view. She sat up in her seat and watched it pass. Homer laughed. "Ne'er seen a lamppost, then? My, wildlings didn't even have lampposts?" he laughed, low and raspy. "There'll be more soon, little bird," Avis smiled and leaned out of the cart and gazed further down the path.

Lampposts became more frequent. Two at a time and eventually three at a time flew past the cart. Avis smiled and sat back in the cart as the village gates came into view. Homer's cart gave a small shake as it rolled over a small stone near the gate. Avis felt herself lift off the seat slightly.

Homer laughed again and waved to a man near the gate, pulling the pony to a halt. "Ho, there, Homer!" the man called.

"A good morning to you! Homer smiled, climbing down from his cart. "Sitting on your rump the entire day, Obediah?" he said, shaking Obediah's hand.

Obediah grimaced, obviously not very happy that Homer had made that comment. "Ay, I did as much as you did, Homer. A whopping hunk of nothing," he said lowly. Homer grinned and walked back to the cart.

"Hunk of nothing, you say?" he said, jumping into the cart. "I suppose you brought back a wildling, too, Obediah."

Obediah visually stiffened. "Wildling?" he said. He got up and came over to inspect Avis. "Ay, a wildling she is! How on earth did you find her, Homer?" he said, poking Avis in the arm, which she flinched at. "Why, fix her up and clothe her right, she'll be the jewel of the town,"

Homer beamed. "Best jewel there ever be," he leaned up against the cart. Avis felt her head sink lower and lower as they continued to talk about her. She wanted them to stop; she knew her face couldn't get any more red.

Obediah eventually waved them through the gates, and Homer's small pony waddled through the gates and onto the street. It was a small town, but busy. Carts pulled by ponies bustled around each other while people weaved around them to cross the street.

The way the people dressed were not much different then Avis. The woman wore long, earth colored dresses with bonnets or small hats. The men wore what Homer wore; long, brown or green pants with a jacket and waistcoat. Avis looked at her animal skin dress. Not as advanced as the neat stitching the townswoman wore, but at least she had a dress on.

Homer followed the flow of traffic up till a turn that extended into a small lane. At the end of the lane was a small wooden house and a small shack beside it. A woman was hanging up laundry on cloth lines.

Avis suspected that it was Homer's wife. "Caddy!" Homer called.

The woman looked up from her work and smiled. She was young, but not nearly as young as Avis. 'Caddy', as Homer had called her, moved out of the way was Homer pulled the cart into the shed. "Look whose home!" she said happily. She froze when she saw Avis. "And who is this?"

–-

"Avis?" Caddy called. "_Avis!_" Caddy frowned and leaned out the window of her cabin. Avis giggled and tucked herself further over the ledge of the roof. Leaping off of the edge of the roof, she grabbed the nearest branch and hung in front of the window, sending Caddy sprawling onto the floor.

"Gotcha!" Avis laughed, sliding into the room through the window. "Hanging right above your head and you don't suspect a thing!" Avis leaned on the window.

"Little rat!" Caddy took a swipe at Avis' legs and stood up. "Didn't suspect a thing? Sure, didn't suspect that you'd be hanging over my head like a spider monkey!" Caddy ushered Avis downstairs into the kitchen. "I thought that you'd be more civilized after your stay here! Learning nothing more like it,"

Avis slid down the railing, landing roughly on the floor. "Ay, I am! I really am, Miz Caddy!" Avis sat down at the kitchen table. "I just smelled you're carrot soup and the front door was locked!"

Caddy slapped the back of Avis' head with a dish cloth. "Demagogue! You're just hungry!" Avis frowned. "Couldn't have knocked?"

"Oops," Avis grimaced.

Caddy sighed and put her dishcloth on the counter. Turning to face the young teen. "I swear by the sky, Avis..." she shook her head, utterly exasperated. "You have the ability to be the wost wildling out there,"

"Or the best," Avis said quietly, setting her chin on her hands.

Caddy sighed. "Never mind, Avis," she said quietly. "Now, then," she said on a more cheerful note. "Let's wash the frown away with some good news, yes?" Avis perked up at this. Caddy usually had good news.

"Homer is very proud to announce," she paused, almost for dramatic effect, "that you're going to have a new baby sibling,"

Avis spat out her carrot soup all over the table, the broth dribbling at her lips afterward. "_What_?" Avis sputtered. "A baby? Like, a small grown-up?" Caddy laughed and put her hands on her hips.

"Now, now, Avis! These things happen, Avis. I've been married to Homer for many long years, now. A baby is just a product of a working marriage," she sighed, putting a hand on Avis' shoulder.

"But... a baby? Wasn't I enough?" Avis, said weakly, feeling utterly betrayed. Caddy smiled at Avis, feeling almost sorry for her. Almost.

"Avis..." Caddy sat down next t other on another chair. "This baby can never replace you. You're special! You're our Avis," Avis smiled, feeling relieved. "But..." Avis froze. "You're going to have to deal with this new addition to the family," Caddy stood up and walked back into the kitchen, leaving Avis' mouth open.

"And shut you're mouth! You're going to catch flies with it hanging open like that, you will," Avis shut her jaw with a taut _snap_.

"This can't be possibly be happening!" Avis said, swinging her feet and leaning on the trunk of the tree. Simon paced beneath her.

"Avis! Calm down! A baby is-"

"...a normal thing in a working relationship. I know, I know! Caddy explained it like, a million times!" she swung down and hung by her knees on the branch. "I just don't get why they decide to have one _now," _Avis crossed her arms and puckered her bottom lip.

Simon rolled his eyes. "For the sky's sake, Avis..." he stood nose to nose with her. "Caddy raised such a spider monkey, didn't she?"

"Ay, weasel!" Avis shoved his face away from hers. "You have the personal boundaries of a Creeper!" Simon laughed and made the similar hissing noises through his teeth.

Avis squealed and jumped down from the tree, landing next to Simon's pick axe, which was leaning up against the trunk. Avis glanced at it, her eyes drifting over the gleaming oak wood handle. "Working in the mines now?" she said quietly. Simon sighed and sat down next to her.

"Not all of us are as privileged as you and your family, Avis," he said, his head bumping the trunk behind him. "Me and pap have good jobs. Good jobs pay the rent," he laughed quietly, his chest rising and falling in short, quick breaths. "Ay, what an axed up world!" he exclaimed under his breath.

"Mm," Avis smiled and looked over at her wooden sword, which was laying sloppily in the grass. "I suppose it is," she chuckled.

"Do you smell that?" Simon said, his neck craning around the tree's wide trunk. Avis raised her head into the head. Yes, she did smell something. Something burning. She had noticed it before, she had a keen nose. "Something's burning," Simon said, generally confused.

"Suppose they're starting a bonfire?" Avis said, craning her neck around the tree as well. "It's not Saturday, it it now?"

"No, it's Thursday."

"Curses, what is it they're doing? Two days late, they are! Suppose we go in and tell them what's what! Hacking' priests can't wait for two more days?" Avis growled, standing up and glaring into the distance.

"Could be drunk," Simon said, still sitting down.

Avis scoffed. "Ay, and I am a Creeper just as much as you are," she said, still squinting against the setting sun. "Priests are as sober as I am lazy," she said matter-of-factly.

Simon nodded, seeing the truth in her statement. "Should we check it out?" Avis nodded and helped him up, picking up her sword. They ran down the hill, away from the tree, towards the town.

They both stopped on the edge of the overlook tower which was on the mountain next to the town.

The town was engulfed in red flames.

"Oh, no..." Simon said.


	3. 3 - We Need to Leave

Avis flew down the hill as fast as her small legs would carry her, Simon trailing close behind. This can't be happening, she told herself over and over again. This can't be happening!

Simon and Avis split up to search the town, so she made a beeline path for Homer and Caddy's cabin. The cabin was in as poor of a state as the rest of the town, burning. Avis covered her mouth with her hands.

Homer... Caddy, everything she had known in the past four years was gone in the lick of a simple flame. She had always taken advantage of the control of fire, and now it was coming back to bite her. "No, no, no," she whispered as she sprinted to the front door.

Flames licked her face with their yellow tongues, her skin screaming for her to leave. She ran through the house, dodging and jumping over falling planks and burning wood. The smell of burning wood filled her nose and made her nauseous.

They weren't there. How couldn't they be there, she thought, eventually making her way to the outside of the house. The house was gone, nothing but a pile of charcoal and lost dreams. Avis fell to her knees, not knowing what to do.

She had even taken advantage of the poor baby. That poor baby would never be born, or never be raised by Caddy and Homer. She placed her head in her hands and tried to keep the tears from falling.

She failed.

She sobbed. She sobbed for a long time.

–-

Simon didn't want to move Avis; she had been sobbing for a while now. Simon waited in silence, not daring to move; not daring to breathe.

He had seen his cottage, it was burned down, like the rest of the village.

Simon had already run out of tears, so he waited for Avis to run out of hers.

–-

Avis hated the smell of burning wood now. She kicked the smoldering lamp post away from her, her eyes on the ground. Simon didn't say a word as he trudged behind her, and Avis' kicking broke the silence along with the popping and crackling of the remaining flames. The wind had eventually killed the flames.

Avis suddenly stopped. Something had moved, and she was ever so hopeful it was a remaining village person, but she snarled in disappointment when a burnt and smoldering Skeleton lifted its self out of the rubble. It soon collapsed and the eerie glowing light behind its eyes went out.

She could feel Simon's anticipation to speak hanging in the air like a thick and depressing fog. "If you want to say something, say it now," Avis growled, her fists clenching when Simon's footsteps stopped.

"We need to get to the mountains," he said quietly. "The next village is on the other side of the ridge," said Simon, his voice hoarse and quiet. Avis stopped as well. He had a point.

"We might die," she said. "There's scores of mobs from here to the next village," Avis smiled slightly. "There's no one here, Simon. We might as well kill ourselves, yeah?" she took in a short, hysterical laugh.

Simon sighed and put his head in his hands. "Who knows, Avis? Some townspeople may have escaped," he looked around. "We might as well be a'heading there to, I suppose. No good will come out of waiting here like a bunch of no-brainers," he leaned back and looked up at the ash and smoke filled sky.

Avis looked up as well. Usually, when she looked up at night, she saw the starts, not ash. Not smoke. Not death. She let out a small breath and closed her eyes, holding out her hands. She wished that the heavens would reign on her; rain, snow, lightning, hail, whatever would wipe her from the face of the earth.

Simon glanced at Avis. She had been so happy in the town, and now the first and only thing she knew was gone. Simon felt no pity for her, though. He lost more. Much more, he thought. He lost his only home his only parent.

A snap. Simon and Avis glanced around and drew their swords, ready to face whatever smoldering creature fate threw at them. A pile of rubble a few feet away began to move, shoulders and then a head appearing...

Simon and Avis jumped behind the nearest pile of debris. "Enderman!" Simon hissed. The Ender man looked around with its deathly purple eyes, its mouth hanging open with a hiss. It's jaw must have been broken, Avis decided. The Ender man shifted out of the pile and stalked around the vicinity with a slight limp, its mysterious hisses and growls making Avis feel tears come to her eyes. She was terrified. She was absolutely terrified.

The creature stopped and raised it's broken face to the sky and _screamed_, it's eyes glowing brighter and it's arms twitching. Avis and Simon covered their ears, their heads ringing. The Enderman continued to scream and shriek, it's voice not taking a break to breath. Avis felt the tears run down her face. She wanted to kill it. She wanted it dead.

Finally, Avis grasped her sword and lunged out from behind the pile of debris, reaching for the Enderman, which was only feet away from her. Simon let out a small cry, reaching for her, but she was gone.

Something caught her foot, causing her to fall onto he ground with an _oof_ and a taut snap of her jaw. She looked back to see her ankle was caught on a root sicking up. Something wasn't right. It was too quiet. It was too still. Avis let out a shaky breath and looked back at the Enderman very slowly.

Then something happened that she feared the most.

The Enderman swiveled its shoulders...

… and looked at her. It looked into her eyes. No, it looked into her soul, her very existence. Avis opened her mouth in a silent scream. The black creature opened its mouth and let out a small croak. Avis screamed.

The Enderman screamed as well, static beginning to build up in Avis' ears. Avis screamed and covered her ears, but the static was still there, spitting and tripping like a broken record. Then the Enderman turned around and began to walk towards her, it's mouth still open.

Then it started running. "Simon!" she screamed, scrambling away and trying to free her foot. Simon had stayed still at first while the Enderman had screamed, but now he leaped over the rubble and hacked his sword at the creature. The blade caught the Enderman in the jaw and Simon pulled his sword down, causing a spurt of purple glowing blood to shower him. The Enderman let out a blood curling scream and grasped its jaw with its long, bony hands. It ran past Avis and Simon, soon running into a pile of what was once a house, then collapsed.

Its eyes stopped glowing. Avis let out her breath and lifted the root, her eyes still on the creature. She slipped her foot out of the root's grasp and sat there, shaking. "We need to leave," Simon's voice broke the silence. He gripped his sword and let out a short breath.

Avis nodded, still staring at the Enderman's corpse.

She stood up.


	4. 4 - Broken Sword

Avis threw her sword to Simon, who caught it easily and slashed the green creature in the... chest? Avis frowned. Did Creepers have chests? She mentally shrugged and pulled out her pick axe. The second Creeper tried to wrap it's jaw the blade of the pick axe, but Avis kicked it away with her boot and sunk her blade into its skull.

The Creeper's skin began to boil, and Avis kicked it away just in time before it exploded, sending wood and stone everywhere. Avis coughed and waved away the dust from her eyes. "Simon!" she called through the haze with a weak voice. She let out a short cough and stepped forward cautiously. No sooner than she sang for him, Simon appeared through the dust, covered in pebbles, dust and mud. Avis let out a small chuckle.

Simon shot her a confused look. "All but a ball of mud you is, Simon!" Avis let out a snort and began laughing, clutching her stomach. "My, ain't you a sight? You'll start trends all over, you will!"

"Come off it!" Simon snapped, brushing his head. "You're not as right as rain yourself!" he snickered, gesturing to her hair, which was now gray and a disgusting shade of brown. Avis stopped laughing and felt her jaw drop.

She let out a squeak and ran to the nearest puddle of water (it had just rained) and looked into it. She let out a horrified gasp and began throwing the water frantically on her hair and face. Simon broke out into hysterical laughter, pointing and snorting like a child. Avis, after minutes of cleaning out her hair, she turned to face him with a snarl plastered on her face.

"Do you _mind_?" she snapped, silencing Simon. "Now then," she paused. "Back home?" she suggested as her hair drooped in front of her eyes.

It had been many weeks after the village burned down. Simon and Avis had left soon after the Enderman incident, but not before taking the Enderman head with them. (Avis had found a strange pearl like thing in the brain area. "Looks like a shiny piece of shite!" Simon said, which was soon met with a slap over the ears) Not soon after a few days of walking, they came to a small cove. There was a small pond with apple trees and a cave nearby. Simon had decided that they would stay there for only a night or two, but the cove was the perfect place to hide for a while.

Avis had helped build the cabin (she always was famous for making forts) and kept the mobs off their trail. She had taken the Enderman head and mounted it on a stake that she had carved a while ago while they were hiking. She stood behind it proudly and blew a raspberry in its direction.

A few long weeks passed with an occasional mob attack. The Enderman's head seemed to be doing the job, and they had marked their territory (with mob heads on stakes. Avis liked the ferocity of it) very specifically. An occasional Creeper pair or a small Zombie mob would come around, but would soon be taken out. They lived quietly. They lived peacefully.

The idea of finding the next town over was a distant memory, and they soon stopped wondering what had happened to the town; who or what had destroyed it so quickly.

The two thought they found an answer, but it ended up being ridiculous. They had found an area that was burnt to the ground that they usually hunted in. It was fine when they weren't there for one day, and the next day it was totally devastated. Avis couldn't help but notice the damage seemed to avoid them, but impact them. (They had lost their best hunting ground) Simon told her to forget it and live in the present, so Avis did. She couldn't solve everything now. She didn't _want_ to solve anything now. She liked her life now.

She missed Caddy and Homer all the time, but she enjoyed her new freedom. She enjoyed being able to run around whenever, despite Simon's strict rules. Simon was the man of the house now. He was the leader.

Avis finally saw the cabin come into view. It was slapdash, but it stood tall and strong enough. She slid through the door and held it open for Simon, who lugged in the hog they had killed. (That's what the Creepers had attacked them for. Creepers love the scent of blood) He set it on the makeshift table and grunted as he rubbed his shoulder.

"What is it?" Avis asked, running to him, feeling panic grip her throat. She was no medic. She didn't know how to heal him if he was hurt,

Simon smiled softly. "Nothing, Avis," he said quietly as he set her pick axe on the table next to the hog. "Just tweaked my shoulder a bit, that's all," he said, sitting down on the stool and sighing. "I suppose a new sword is in order, yeah?" he laughed, pulling the remains of the sword out of his backpack.

Avis sighed and looked out the window. The sun was starting to set, and the sky was painted with a slur of yellows to red. She sighed and slid the hog down the table. "Put this in the cellar?" she asked quietly after a long pause. (By 'cellar' she meant a hole in the ground near the pond)

Simon smiled and nodded. "Yeah," he laughed. "Don't want it to be full of maggots for tonight, right?"


End file.
